The Best Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

We all love the occasional indulgent treat and this recipe ticks all the boxes – the sponge is light, moist and slightly gooey and the frosting is creamy and delicious. They are just the best chocolate cupcakes!

While the recipe is simple, if you’re looking for something you can make with very young children, you might want to check out our basic chocolate buns recipe.

You can bake the cupcakes either in a muffin tin (makes 12 +) or in bun tin (makes 24 +). You will need the following ingredients:

For the sponge

80g (3oz)of unsalted butter or margarine softened

280g (10oz) of caster sugar

200g (7oz) of plain flour

40g (1 1/2 oz) of cocoa powder

1 tablespoon of baking powder

a pinch of salt

240ml (8 1/2 fl oz) of whole milk

2 large eggs

For the chocolate frosting

200g (7oz) of icing sugar

50g (1 3/4 oz) of cocoa powder

80g (3oz) of butter or margarine

25ml whole milk

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) or gas mark 5. Line your muffin or bun tray with paper cases

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until the ingredients are mixed in a crumby mixture

Whisk the egg and milk in a jug. Mix half of the liquid with the dry ingredients. Add the rest of the liquid and mix until all the ingredients have blended together and the batter is smooth

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases so they are 2/3 full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes ( 12 to 15 minutes if you are making small cupcakes) or until the cakes have risen and are springy to the touch

Remove the cupcakes from the tin and put them on a wire rack. Allow to cool fully before frosting

To make the chocolate frosting:

Beat the butter, sugar and cocoa powder together until well combined in a sandy mixture

Pour in the milk and whisk until the frosting is soft and fluffy.

Spread the icing on the cupcakes and sprinkle with sugar strands or other decorations

Et Voila! These tasty chocolate cupcakes will look great in any party spread and will make a much appreciated gift too. There’s one problem though – they disappear quickly. By the time I came to take a picture for this post several cupcakes were “missing” already. The kids said it had nothing to do with them…

Variations

You can also use the the chocolate sponge mixture and frosting to make a cake. Simply share the batter equally in two 20cm tins and bake until the cakes have risen and are springy to the touch. When they are completely cool, sandwich the cakes together with a layer of frosting and apply frosting to the top of the cake (you might need to double up the quantity of frosting required).